Production Of Powder Product With High Betacyanin Content By Fermentation Of Dragon Fruit (Hylocereus Polyrhizus) And Functional Beverage Development
Project no. 28458 · Status: Kapanmış (Yayın bekleniyor) · 2023
Summary
<p>The dragon fruit, which has become popular in recent years due to its unique exotic appearance, stands out especially for the high amount of natural colorants in its flesh. The colorant known as betacyanin, which belongs to the betalain (Beta vulgaris) group, is the main component that gives the fruit its red-violet color. It is known that the stability of natural colorants decreases after extraction due to external factors such as heat, light, and oxygen. Microencapsulation is the most commonly used method to increase the stability of these colorants. Recent studies have also shown that fermentation treatments can be an effective method for stabilizing the colorant. Additionally, studies have found that using different concentrations of water and ethanol solvents in betalain extraction results in colorants with higher betacyanin content, and ultrasonication has been used to support the extraction process.</p><p>Based on this information, the goal of this master's thesis is to ferment the red dragon fruit to preserve the betacyanin content and convert it into a stable form. It aims to determine the fermentation conditions that will ensure high yield in colorant production. The colorants will be extracted using solvents with different concentrations of water and ethanol through ultrasonic application, and after being microencapsulated using hydrocolloids, the extract will be freeze-dried to produce a powdered product. One of the objectives of the thesis is to use the most stable powdered product as a colorant in beverage production. In this context, the optimum values for solid/liquid culture, light/dark environment, duration, and temperature in the fermentation process will first be determined. The betalains extracted from the fermented product will be microencapsulated using hydrocolloids such as xanthan gum, guar gum, and carboxymethyl cellulose, and freeze-dried. The stability of the powdered products will be evaluated in both dark and light environments at +4°C and +25°C. The product with the highest stability will be used to produce functional beverages, and its stability in the beverage will also be examined.</p>